Cigargate

[red states rule]

Cigargate

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When people vote for Democrats, this is what the rest of us get



Ellison Sends 'Sorry' Note to Tancredo For To-Do Over Cigar Complaint

WASHINGTON — A freshman Democratic lawmaker sent a hand-written note Wednesday night to a neighboring Republican congressman to apologize for the situation that erupted after his staff complained to U.S. Capitol Police about cigar smoke.

No word yet that Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison is sorry that his staff called the cops in the first place to complain that Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo's cigar was stinking up the hallway they share in t he Longworth House Office Building.

Ellison "apologizes for the situation" because "it was so blown out of proportion," Carlos Espinosa, Tancredo’s press secretary, told FOX News.

Tancredo told FOX News on Thursday that he had only read the first portion of the Ellison letter because he was in a rush to get the House floor to speak about Iraq. He said he would discuss the note once he can fully review it after he returns from attending the funeral of Rep. Charlie Norwood, R-Ga., who died earlier this week after a long battle with cancer.

News of the complaint were first reported in Wednesday editions of The Hill newspaper. Ellison's staff called the police to snuff out Tancredo's cigar. Tancredo, who often relaxes with a cigar, is allowed to smoke in his office. The police officer told Ellison's people that, but for due diligence went to check on the smoke.

Rick Jauert, a spokesman for Ellison, said he made the call to complain about the smoke last week. He said he didn't think the complaint was worth the press it was getting.

"Good grief, we're talking war and peace in a historic debate this week and people are talking about cigar smoke?" Jauert told FOX News.

Jauert said he wasn't sure where the smoke was coming from and that the congressman didn't know that he had made the complaint.

Ellison suffers from asthma and people in his office are "highly sensitive" to second-hand smoke, Jauert said.

It was a "trivial little incident which resulted from the smoke permeating through the walls, which has happened a number of times," Jauert said.

The two lawmakers have neighboring offices on the first floor of the Longworth building, but have not met.

"It's very bizarre," Tancredo told the newspaper. "Seemed to me not a good way to say hello."

Asked if he would stop smoking in his office, Tancredo said, "Heck, no!"

"If he [Ellison] would have [had] the courtesy to say something I'm sure I would have been more accommodating to his wishes."

The complaint follows a decree last month by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that banned smoking in the Speaker's Lobby, a lounge off the floor of the House and one of the original sites to earn the designation of a smoke-filled back room.

Asked about the police complaint on Tancredo, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., told FOX News: "We would never do that over here in the Senate."

FOX News' Molly Hooper contributed to this report.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,251958,00.html

[Gaffer]

So ellison is an asmatic and his staff is "sensitive", that's just as liberal as can be isn't it. It's pc for "we hate smokers". Tancredo needs to make his whole office area a smoking zone.It will keep all of ellison's weinies out.

[Abbey Marie]

So ellison is an asmatic and his staff is "sensitive", that's just as liberal as can be isn't it. It's pc for "we hate smokers". Tancredo needs to make his whole office area a smoking zone.It will keep all of ellison's weinies out.

Considering what libs like to do with their cigars, Ellison was probably concerned that someone was acutally smoking one.

[avatar4321]

For a freshman representative Ellison is really getting into alot of incidents that make him look incredibly stupid.

As for Tancredo. He got himself in the news. Id say thats a win for his campaign right now.

[trobinett]

I haven't smoked in over ten years, and they say ex-smokers are the worst, but I sure get pissed when I hear about people like this Ellison jerk, and his staff complaining about second hand smoke, FROM THE ROOM NEXT DOOR.

Grow up!

[Hugh Lincoln]

Ellison, a black-power Muslim, relishes the idea of calling the cops on Tancredo, a white immigration restrictionist. It's the future of America, really.

[manu1959]

Ellison, a black-power Muslim, relishes the idea of calling the cops on Tancredo, a white immigration restrictionist. It's the future of America, really.

a muslim asking "the man" for help....pussie...should of had an imam slap a faqua on tancredos ass